Birthday Bites
by nessabutterfly
Summary: A short collection of birthday themed drabbles.  Quick and sweet to read- like a bite of yummy birthday cake!
1. cake

"Mamo-chan, what flavour of cake do you want me to make this year?" asked Usagi, wiggling closer to her husband and entwining her legs with his.

"I don't need a cake for my birthday, just you."

"That's well and good," pouted Usagi as she pulled herself up on her knees and peered sternly down at him, reminding him of the large party of hungry guests they were expecting.

"Fine then," Mamoru allowed with a sigh. "I'll take an Usako flavoured cake."

"Mamo-chan," wailed Usagi as she flung herself at him playfully. "I am not jumping out of a cake again!"


	2. Surprise Party

"Where are we going tonight?" asked a deep, smooth voice from several inches over the petite blonde's head as she turned the key, locking her apartment door.

Careful not to turn, she muttered slightly as she replied, "Just out for a nice quiet dinner."

He could see straight through her and knew that she was hiding something. She'd never been able to deceive him—at least not since he had discovered her deepest secret of all. Somehow the shared secret had linked them so powerfully that they could almost read one another's minds. She was obviously trying to keep a secret, and he had already guessed what it was.

Several days earlier, he had entered the Crown Parlour without notice and overheard a snipped of conversation between Makoto and her crush, his best friend, Motoki. They had stopped talking abruptly when he approached, but he was sure he had heard his name and the words "party" and "cake".

Then, yesterday, he had seen Usagi quickly push a roll of crepe paper and a bag of balloons under the couch when he popped in to see her during a break between classes. He pretended not to notice.

The final clue had come that very morning when Mamoru had dropped her off after an early morning walk. As was her routine, she went straight to the answering machine and hit play before digging into the refrigerator. The third message began, "Hi Usagi, I know it's late notice, but I wanted to RSVP for Mamoru's bi—" Usagi flew across the apartment at breakneck speed, smashing her hand over the tiny machine's speaker and mashing the buttons in an effort to silence it. When the machine was quiet, she brushed a stray lock from her face and composed herself. "Wrong number," she breathed, gesturing toward the blinking contraption.

His darling Usako could not deceive him, and he wasn't sure why she even tried. Still, he shook his head and reminded himself to act surprised.

When she parked her little pink hatchback in front of one of Tokyo's most impressive hotels, he was a little surprised; he had expected the party to be at a restaurant, or maybe a friend's house. Usagi must have gone all out.

She led him quietly to a small ballroom, pausing briefly at the door before pulling it open. "Happy birthday, Mamoru," she spoke into the dark, silent room. He braced himself for a flash of lights and a loud chorus of "Happy birthday!" but it never came.

A gentle tug on his arm drew him into the room and Usagi led him to its center where he noticed a single taper glowing softly. He followed mutely as she approached the candle and quietly shared its light with the others that filled a small platter. As the glow increased, he saw a small feast set up in the center of a soft blanket, piled with plump cushions. The light did not reach to the edges of the large room, but Mamoru began to suspect that his friends were not awaiting some mysterious signal to jump out at him; they were simply not there.

"Usako?" he questioned softly, lowering himself to the cushion beside her.

She nodded slightly, explaining that they always had such a huge celebration, but that she knew he would prefer something quiet and intimate.

"But," he sputtered, "I thought…"

"I know what you thought," interjected Usagi, silencing him with one tiny finger across his lips. "But the best way to surprise you was to let you believe something else. You're not disappointed, are you?"

"Surprised? Yes, but never disappointed," he reassured before leaning over to settle a kiss on her upturned face. 


	3. Invitations

"I hereby cordially request your presence at…"

"I would be honoured if you would attend my…"

"Happy birthday to me! I'm having…"

Usagi sighed as she crumpled yet another paper and added it to the growing mound on the café table in front of her. Stealing a glance over her shoulder, she fiercely bit into her pen cap and chewed vigorously. This should not be such a difficult task.

Giving up, she tossed her pen into the air and let her head fall to the table with a frustrated thud. A moment later, she heard the squeak of a body sliding onto the vinyl seat across from her. Her projectile pen was laid down on the table and an abandoned wad of paper was retrieved from the floor. Despite her curiosity, Usagi was too flustered to look up.

The pen was lifted from the table and pulled across a fresh sheet of paper. "Mamoru, I'm having a birthday party tomorrow and I would love for you to come." The paper was folded in quarters and set down briefly on the table before being lifted and unfolded.

After reading the short message aloud, Mamoru gently lifted Usagi's chin and looked into her moist eyes. "I'd love to come, Odango."


	4. giftwrap

"Mamo-chan, can you pass me that roll of gift wrap over there?" whispered Usagi as she tried to cover a large box with the last of the pink bunny covered paper. She pulled a piece of scotch tape from the row of pre-cut strips along her arm, yelping when it caught a small hair on its adhesive backing.

Mamoru laid down a fresh roll of paper, covered in pink and purple butterflies and bunnies, and caught his wife's arm, gently kissing the pink spot where the tape had pulled at the skin. "Why do we always do this so late at night?" he asked, his lips so near her ear that his breath caused her flesh to pucker up in tiny goose bumps.

Usagi wriggled from his grasp and got back to work on the half-wrapped box. "You know very well that Chibi-Usa can spot gift wrap from a mile away. If I want to present her with even one wrapped gift in the morning, I need to do this after she's in bed."

Mamoru sighed and stepped behind her, resting his hands on her silk-clad hips, and waited for her to fasten the last bow in place. "There," she declared with a nod of satisfaction. "It's perfect."

As she began to gather up the wrapping supplies, Mamoru also swept up an armload. But while his wife carried her burden to the closet, he deposited his on the bed. He was ready with a piece of pre-taped wrap when she returned. At her questioning look, he secured the paper around her thigh and explained, "It's not just Chibi-Usa's birthday, Usako." Here he gestured toward the glowing blue numbers on the bedside alarm clock: 12:24. "I thought we could wrap up the birthday girl," he offered suggestively.

"Well, then someone is going to need to unwrap me," she returned with a knowing smile and reached for a roll of sparkly pink paper. 


	5. Party Games

"Now we're going to play spin-the-bottle!" shouted the overenthusiastic party hostess, presenting an old-fashioned glass cola bottle.

Feeling himself flush, Mamoru looked pointedly at Usagi and stated loudly, "I've had enough of your kids' games. I hope you have a wonderful birthday," he said kindly to Rei as he collected his olive green jacket from the corner and bowed out the door.

Five minutes later, Usagi burst from the house and rounded the corner in a huff. "Why did you leave the party, Mamoru-Baka?" she demanded.

"You think I wanted to play spin-the-bottle?" he asked with amusement.

"I think it might have been fun," she replied with a gleam in her eye.

No longer able to resist, Mamoru pulled her behind a large shrub and kissed her deeply. "What if I had ended up in that closet with someone else?" he demanded between kisses. "Or if you had? Did you ever think of that?"

She shushed him with another round of passionate kisses before answering, "Just because you're right, doesn't mean I'm going to admit it." When he leaned in to kiss her with a triumphant smile, she realized what she had said. "Darn it, Mamoru!" she exclaimed, stomping her foot in a most adorable manner. "That's why I hate you! Now get out of here before someone catches us together."

"That's why you hate me," repeated Mamoru, leaning in to steal one last kiss before jogging to his motorcycle.

When Usagi let herself back in to the party, Ami caught her by the arm and studied her face closely. "Usagi-chan, your cheeks are all red. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine, Ami. I just got into a fight with that baka Mamoru. He always thinks he's right! She exclaimed, her cheeks glowing a brighter red at the memory of his parting kiss. 


End file.
